The area off the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey is used by scallopers around the Northeast. It will be closed for 180 days starting Dec. 12. The fisheries service says it's likely to be closed an additional two years after that.

Officials say a survey of the Elephant Trunk Area this year found the third-highest observed abundance of small scallops there since 1979.

Regulators say the scallops must be protected as part of a program that rotates fishing between different areas to give scallops time to rebound in places that aren't in use.

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.